000 AXNT20 KNHC 262348 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 705 PM EST FRI DEC 26 2014 TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR NORTH AMERICA...CENTRAL AMERICA...GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA...NORTHERN SECTIONS OF SOUTH AMERICA...AND ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE AFRICAN COAST FROM THE EQUATOR TO 32N. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS BASED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY...WEATHER OBSERVATIONS...RADAR...AND METEOROLOGICAL ANALYSIS. BASED ON 1800 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 2345 UTC. ...THE ITCZ/THE MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH CROSSES THE AFRICAN COAST NEAR 09N13W AND EXTENDS TO 09N16W WHERE THE ITCZ BEGINS AND CONTINUES TO 05N27W TO 06N37W TO 05N50W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS FROM 02N- 06N BETWEEN 25W-36W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... 1028 MB SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER THE SE US EXTENDS ACROSS THE BASIN. WITH THIS...A GENTLE ANTICYCLONIC FLOW PREVAILS ACROSS THE AREA. UPPER-LEVEL SW FLOW IS BRINGING MOISTURE FROM THE EPAC AND W CARIBBEAN TO THE GULF ALLOWING FOR LOW-TOPPED ISOLATED CONVECTION TO DEVELOP. EXPECT FOR THE NEXT COLD FRONT TO ENTER THE NW GULF IN 24 HOURS. CARIBBEAN SEA... MODERATE TRADEWINDS ARE PREVAILING OVER THE CARIBBEAN EXCEPT S OF 15N BETWEEN 72W-79W WHERE A FRESH SE BREEZE IS OBSERVED. SHALLOW MOISTURE EMBEDDED IN THE TRADE WIND FLOW CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION PRODUCING ISOLATED PASSING SHOWERS AFFECTING THE LESSER ANTILLES AND PUERTO RICO AS DEPICTED BY THE SAN JUAN DOPPLER RADAR. AT THE UPPER LEVELS...AN ANTICYCLONE IS CENTERED NEAR 19N74W KEEPING THE BASIN UNDER STRONG SUBSIDENCE. EXPECT FAIR WEATHER TO PREVAIL ONCE AGAIN OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. HISPANIOLA... SHALLOW MOISTURE EMBEDDED IN THE TRADE WIND FLOW CONTINUES SUPPORTING ISOLATED SHOWERS OVER THE ADJACENT CARIBBEAN WATERS. MOSTLY FAIR WEATHER PREVAILS ACROSS THE ISLAND AS AN UPPER-LEVEL ANTICYCLONE SUPPORTS SUBSIDENCE. EXPECT THIS PATTERN TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ATLANTIC OCEAN... AN UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE NW ATLANTIC SUPPORTS A FRONTAL SYSTEM THAT EXTENDS S AS A COLD FRONT FROM A 1002 MB LOW CENTERED NEAR 38N52W TO 29N60W TO 28N73W WHERE IT TRANSITIONS TO A STATIONARY FRONT AND CONTINUES TO 02N77W AND THEN INTO A WARM FRONT FROM THAT POINT TO 27N80W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS AHEAD OF THE FRONT N OF 28N BETWEEN 46W-52W. A 1021 MB SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE IS CENTERED NEAR 26N72W. TO THE EAST...A NEARLY STATIONARY 1000 MB SURFACE LOW IS NEAR 33N43W WITH A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDING SE FROM THE LOW TO 26N43W. THESE SURFACE FEATURES ARE SUPPORTED BY AN UPPER LOW CENTERED NEAR 37N40W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS OBSERVED N OF 20N BETWEEN 25W-39W. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT GENERATED BY THE PRESENCE OF THIS LOW IS GENERATING NEAR GALE FORCE WINDS MAINLY N OF 29N BETWEEN 30W-55W. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE PREVAILS ACROSS THE E ATLANTIC E OF 27W SUPPORTING FAIR WEATHER. OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS...EXPECT FOR THE COLD FRONT TO CONTINUE MOVING E ENHANCING CONVECTION WHILE THE STATIONARY PORTION OF THE FRONT WILL DISSIPATE. THE CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROUGH AND UPPER- LEVEL LOW OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ RIVERA